Truth Will Set You Free: Time Does Not Exist (Part 1 of 2)

Aug 13, 2016

Why Time does not exist

When we ask ourselves why we think time exists, most of us would say: because we see everything changing, always. And so it is: everything in and around us is constantly changing, from beginning until the end.

The question however is: is the reason for this perpetual change to be found outside the changing subject (caused by a phenomena called time) or is all change coming from inside the changing subject itself?

I don’t think that it is hard to see that the latter is correct. That which makes things change (the cycle of life) to a flower, a human being or an animal is set by the characteristics of that particular life’s form and not by an outer cause such as time. What we call ‘time’ is just a method for measuring the ‘perpetual change’.

Because of our need to measure this perpetual change we decided to divide the ‘cyclic changes’ such as seasons and day and night, into months, twenty-four hours, minutes etc. These well-known changes are caused by the ever-moving planetary positions within our solar system and not because there exists such a thing as ‘time’.

So, there are no minutes, but we decided that after counting 60 (heartbeats?) we say that a minute has passed. Based on minutes we calculate hours, days, months, years, centuries etc.

In this way we can count the number of heartbeats per minute, years from birth to death and we even can calculate the number of years from the Big Bang until today.

But we also say: ‘it seems as if time has stood still (in that old village), nothing has changed`.

Actually there is only NOW – in which all that is manifested appeared, changes and disappears.

Because we ourselves are part of this process of change it might be difficult for us to grasp that we ourselves too are just changing in the eternal now. If we are able to look upon ourselves from outside our moving train (witnessing our life passing by), we will probably be able to see that the now always is and that we are passing through this eternal, unmoving, NOW.

As we know, Albert Einstein became famous because of his theory of relativity. In our context it is interesting to understand that Einstein studied the method of calculating time.

He discovered: a moment in time from my position need not necessarily to be the same from your position.

I do not know whether Einstein ever stated that time does not exist at all. As for me, he had better have said so!

It may be wise and good for a better understanding to give some more examples of the methods of measuring we use daily and which are also based on non-existing principles.

Distance: a centimeter, meter, kilometer, mile, etc. do not exist but we have agreed what emptiness we bridge to call it a meter.

Weight: a gram, ounce, kilo, ton, etc. do not exist, but again, we have agreed what heaviness we will call one kilo.

These calculating methods are of course most useful and indispensable in our daily life.

Because we are not aware that time does not exist, we do not feel the need to focus on the now in which our life takes place. However, it would have been much wiser if our ancestors (and we) had done so in the past. Read on to see why…

The eternal now

The infinite space of the universe extends to `the place where we live’. Even so: who, when and where we are, we have appeared and will disappear in the immutable reality of space, the void in which all changes take place.

The Greek scholars from the past called this void: ‘Being’ or the ‘Absolute’ because it refers to that which cannot be NOT, which is absolute.

What more can be said about this absolute: it is unchangeable (but all that appears in it changes constantly), it is omnipresent (there is no place where it is not) and it is timeless (no beginning, no change, no ending).

During history there have always been people who were able to see through daily life’s reality and who discovered the absolute reality of the eternal now (they dis-covered that which was covered before).

Surprisingly this discovery of the absolute turned out to be of the utmost importance for the one who had such an experience. An intense awareness of the eternal now can be considered as an existential experience. One realizes: my existence is fundamentally connected with the eternal now, the timeless.

In our culture and ‘time’ transcendental experiences like these are quite rare and distrusted by philosophers and psychologists, but in former days such experiences were considered as being mystical or religious. It has been like this for thousands of years, in different cultures and periods of time.

It is quite remarkable that people who live from the awareness of the absolute, always are pictured with a circle (aureole) around their head. A circle has no beginning and no end and in this way symbolizes the timeless, the eternal now.

It is obvious that artists in former ages, in different cultures and different times, never could have communicated how to depict the ‘knower of the absolute’.

It is amazing that ‘they who live from the timelessness’ always are presented with the same type of symbolism. See the saints and sages in Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism.

With this reference to the great world religions (in Islam picturing of holy people is not permitted) the meaning of living from the eternal (the timelessness) gets an extra dimension. It is not just that ‘someone has occasionally seen through the illusion of time’ but it looks as if the understanding of the reality of the eternal is so impressive, that it may have been the beginning of religious thinking of mankind.

The meaning of the absolute within religion

Above I said: ‘An intense awareness of the eternal now can be considered as an existential experience. One realizes: my existence is fundamentally connected with the eternal now, the timeless`.

In former cultures these mystical experiences and their possible meaning were thoroughly investigated. As a result of this all major cultures concluded (although formulated by each in its own way): living from the awareness of the timeless, the absolute, gives people insight into the meaning of life and gives them real happiness (‘liberation’).

How this conclusion is to be found in each of the great world religions (excluding Islam in this context) will be shown in following examples:

Hinduism: the essence of the oldest of the great world religions is to be found in the Upanishads (written down in the period between 800 and 300 BC). These writings contain the quintessence of an age old, from generation to generation orally passed on spiritual tradition.

The topics covered run always to: That (the timeless, the absolute) is what you are in your innermost self (the mantra Tat Tvam Asi). Or: the absolute and the visible world are connected (Sat, the absolute and Ti, all that is, are connected, Yam. This became the mantra Satyam).

And also: real happiness for a human being is not to be found in temporary (changing) things, but only in the unchangeable, the timeless absolute. Consequently people are advised to conquer their need for temporary pleasures, on behalf of the liberating insight into the reality of the relationship with the eternal now, the absolute.

The original Hindu scriptures were written in the Sanskrit language. In this language the mystical visions of people from very long ago are presented to us with a timeless relevance.

Buddhism: like all great cultures, Hinduism too went through a period of relapse after a period of strength. When realization of the mystic reality of existence threatens to be replaced by believing in a transcendental power (God), the profound meaning of a on realty (the absolute) based spirituality gets lost and confusion arises.

This has been the reason for Buddhism to manifest. About 2500 years ago Prince Gautama realized the unity of the essence of man with the timeless, the absolute, and he became the Buddha (enlightened one).

In order to avoid confusion as mentioned in Hindu culture, he did not talk about the highest state of spiritual knowledge. He just called that state ‘Nirvana’. This word literally means ‘extinction’. This refers to the bright (motionless) state of self-awareness which remains when the restless thinking (the ego) is extinguished (meaning, came to rest).

With this living from the changeable (time) has evolved into living from the unchangeable (timelessness).

Christianity: Like Hinduism (and so Buddhism) has its roots in the distant past, Christianity is rooted in the old Jewish culture. Here too people were (are) aware of the ‘bond’ between God and man (that this bond applies to the Jews exclusively must be a ‘misunderstanding’).

The culture in which Jesus appeared was spiritually of a much lower level than the Hindu culture of those days, where the unity of the human soul and the absolute was (is) the main issue of the scriptures.

Obviously Jesus himself was very well aware of this unity, as his words are telling us. He had to speak in parables however, because people in his days were not ready yet to understand profound metaphysical teachings. By speaking in parables he hoped to bring people to self-knowledge and eventually to the liberating insight into man’s relationship with the absolute, which he called father or God.

The best known sayings of the ‘son of God’ are: ‘I and the father are one’ and ‘the kingdom of heaven is within you’. These are very strong expressions of his vision of the unity of man and the timeless, the absolute.

It is not so that only the ancient Hindu sages, Buddha and Jesus fathomed the ‘secret of life’. They kindled the flame of insight and many dedicated their life to it, no doubt with all experiences of hardship and fulfillment belonging to the spiritual path.

Probably it also has not been so that the non-existence of time has been exclusively taught in the spiritual education of people in the past. But we can be sure that the ‘saints’ in religious cultures have seen through the illusion of time (remember the symbol of the timeless, the aureole).

All religions have developed their own basic values and formed their own traditions. It is very disappointing however to see that religions in general failed to reach their common goal: to guide people toward the liberating insight into their relationship with that which became them: the timeless absolute (God). If this had been different, the world would be in a completely different situation.

What went wrong and which are the consequences?

This exploration continues in Part 2 … which will have the answers and more … so, stay tuned.

Thank you, thank you. After many years (I am eighty years of age) of ‘wrestling
with the understanding of time’, I glimpse “The truth will set you free”. Although the “Yes, but what about?” mind is still active. the clarity of your Posts
continue to bring “Aahaa” moments to my awareness.

Thank You! I understand your “Yes, but what about”. If you wish, you can ask me “about”, but perhaps it gives you more when you try to follow my suggestion to try to focus on the “NOW”.
The now can give you peace of mind, always, now never leaves you, it is you who leaves the now…
Regards.

Dear Hans, What a delightful surprise to receive your note (only discovered it Now) and thank you for your invitation to enquire further with you. I was referring to the egoic mind (Eckhart Tolle) and it is quite disheartening to see how persistent and entrenched it is. I do practice ‘being present’ as often as memory allows and I feel the practice is gaining momentum. However, “the longing”, together with “the search” continues; I suspect that among the life lessons to be learned, the Law of Acceptance is of great importance to me at this time.

Dear Wyllis,
As I understand (feel) you well, I would suggest you to contemplate “the Law of Surrender” rather than the Law of Acceptance.
Although, to surrender to whom or what?
Perhaps you noticed that there is another article of mine on this beautiful website: “Non-Duality And Its Value For The World”. Here you will find some “practical instructions” which may be of value for you, in the context we are talking about.
Should be great to hear you again…..
Hans

Although I am very pleased to see Stillness Speaks back online, I question why you are embedding the words “Stillness Speaks” on the images you post on these pages. You do, as you should, provide source/credit for each image at the end of the web page, but Stillness Speaks did not create nor does it have any rights, exclusive or otherwise, to any of them so what gives you the right to permanently alter them by putting the name of your site on them? It seems extremely odd as well as unethical and probably a violation of the Wiki Commons and other public domain use terms to do so.

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Glad that you like the new/renovated Stillness Speaks 🙂

Re embedding “Stillness Speaks Logo” on the images:

We are doing this so that our name/brand is associated with the image when they are shared “out (particularly on PINterest).” It signifies where they are “coming” from or have been shared from, i.e., from Stillness Speaks website.

All of the images we use are fully modifiable without restrictions – according to the license (whether it is Creative Commons OR free Public Domain use OR images given to us by others for free use).

According to these licenses we can alter the images without restrictions (and use for commercial purposes) as long as we give proper attribution, which we do at the bottom of the web page. This is why we use only “CC BY x.y” or “CC BY-SA x.y” instead of “CC BY-ND x.y” which does not allow derivates (i.e., modifications) or “CC BY-NC x.y” which does not allow use for commercial purposes.

As best as we know, we are not in violation of these licenses as they are set forth.

We have no implicit or explicit or unethical intentions to make the images appear as ours (exclusive or otherwise) – the logo addition is strictly to convey where they were shared from and our full attribution ensures that when one comes back to this “intermediate source (i.e., Stillness Speaks)” they find who the image creator/owner (source) is. Also, we explicitly link to both the image source and the license-definition page – again to ensure honoring of the source.

We take image licenses very seriously and want to always ensure compliance (and expend significant effort in finding quality images that are freely usable). This is why we have a page dedicated to our copyright policy (both for others using our site content and also re our use of external content).

That said, we will double check to see if this specific usage causes any concern and then act accordingly.

Again, thanks for sharing your perspective. It is always good to “compare notes” and determine if anything is being missed.

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